Undergraduate Opportunity Spotlight: Research Conferences

Erin Hendricks

Nicholas Adams is no ordinary student. While many of us are inching along, just trying to get past our latest final or term paper, Nick, a senior majoring in real estate at Southern Miss, is already crossing the bridge into the professional world. He has recently completed a large research project entitled “Venture Capital Impact: The Special Case of Real Estate,” which he presented in March 2005 at a conference in New Orleans—a conference of only a handful of other students among experienced and successful men and women from the business world. His ideas were presented alongside those of seasoned professionals and judged according to their standards—a daunting prospect for any undergraduate. As I learned more about Nick’s experience and that there were other students working on similar projects in nearly every department. I began to wonder how someone of our undergraduate academic level might prepare for such an incredible and yet intimidating experience. How does one even become involved in a professional conference? How does an undergraduate form an argument strong enough to stand up against those of experts who have spent years in the field? These questions cut to the core of Catalyst’s purpose: to seek out, promote and publicize the best in undergraduate research. In an attempt to uncover answers to my questions, I recently sat down with Nick in an interview to find out what it is like to be a student conducting research and composing results for a conference full of professionals.

Nick first heard about this conference from a professor of finance in international economics, Dr. Edward Nissan, with whom he began collaborating on a large project. It was not until after this project was already in the works that Nick learned about the possibility of presenting at a conference—a proposition which he readily agreed. However, before moving ahead with the project, Nick first needed to present an abstract summarizing the main concepts that his paper would address. Only when the conference committee accepted Nick’s project was he able to move ahead with his research and writing. With all this work one might think the main incentive in undertaking such an endeavor would be an enhanced résumé, but according to Nick it was more of “something to do—to set me apart from the crowd, you know?”

If the uniFebruary 9, 2007 2:56 PM>9, 2007 2:35 PM. After only a few months of gathering, compiling, and analyzing research, this student turned out more than 20 pages of work in final form. I asked Nick if the fact that he was writing for a professional audience intimidated him throughout the process, and I received a ready reply, “No, it really didn’t. I’ve never been one to be afraid of people in power positions, and when I was writing I didn’t have them in mind at all. I just tried to write a professional paper, and this is what came out.” These, I thought, were brave words, but would that attitude hold up against the brightest professionals in a conference setting? A few weeks later, after the conference of The Southwestern Economic Association had come and gone, I decided to find out. Again, Nick was gracious enough to give up a bit of his time to tell Catalyst about his experience at the conference…

I must admit, I expected to find Nick a bit mistaken about his prediction of remaining calm and free of nerves. However, the presentation went smoothly and was well-received by the audience. Two of the four presenters in his particular group dropped out weeks before the conference, and to Nick’s surprise, he outlasted two professors and was left presenting alongside only one other person. Due to his intense preparation, Nick was able to present and answer questions without the hindrance of a bout of nerves and in a well-informed manner. When asked if he believed the students in the conference were given special treatment, he responded, “There was, to me, no significant difference in the treatment of the students or even between the presentations of students and professionals. I think this is largely due to the fact that students were forced to work harder to get there—what the professors spoke on was basically their specific field of research; things that they had already done projects on, etc.”

So what did Nick take away from his experience? He says it was a wonderful opportunity to meet and get to know a diverse variety of people in the professional world of finance. “Because of my attendance at the conference I met a lot of new contacts throughout the country and was provided a unique glimpse into the world of academia.”

Nick has big plans for the future, and he believes things like the research discipline and methods he learned throughout the project will prove invaluable. He has already begun on another project of similar magnitude in which his ultimate goal will be to amass a net worth of $500,000 using creative financing techniques…and all this before he graduates! With a firm of his own and such solid experience as all this to start him off, it seems highly possible that Nick will reach those goals and any others he chooses to set.

Before our interview ended, I had to ask one final question for the sake of our readers: “What would Nick say to a student thinking about undertaking such a project?” His answer was simple: “I would recommend that they acquire the maturity and discipline to sit down and get with it. It doesn’t matter what you’re working on…discipline yourself enough to sit down and do it, and commit to it. If you know what commitment is, you can accomplish your goal, and after you’ve finished you will be a better person and you will have grown… the rewards will be plentiful. Participating in such projects and conferences can only help students as they pursue their career goals.”

** Nick would like to acknowledge the Business Advisory Council for scholarship funds given to students.